


don't you know

by lazulum



Series: anything for you: a narumika collection [2]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Established Relationship, F/F, anxiety and other lovely things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 07:45:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7882654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazulum/pseuds/lazulum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The joy of nightmares is something Mika is regrettably far too used to, but it doesn't stop it from hurting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	don't you know

**Author's Note:**

> In all honesty I have no idea where this came from, though here's to some comfort.
> 
> The title is from lyrics in Plans by Oh Wonder
> 
> Also, not sure if this really needs warning or where to put these ones exactly, but, caution for descriptions of anxiety and mentions of blood (nothing explicit though).

_Everything was familiar but nothing was. A standard in dreams. Thrown into some random scene, some random plot. It’s never fun, though. There was no feeling of active consciousness, like walking through molasses. Nothing she can’t handle, most of the time, until the very real feeling of- fear, a deep wound, Naruko being chased and hurt-_

With a small gasp, a quick beating heart, Mika wakes up, immediately looking over towards the sleeping form to the right of her. Their clock reads 5 a.m. and the sky outside is just the slightest gradient of lightness. Still shaking, she can’t stop herself from clinging onto Naruko, even though it’ll probably wake her up. 

With a small whine, Naruko stirs, then turns over towards Mika, throwing an arm over her. 

“Hmm… Mika…?” She mumbles, blinking a few times before actually opening her eyes. 

“N-Naru,” she starts, not able to avoid the break in her voice. Mika's infinitely glad to be holding her in her arms, safe, unharmed. The nightmare still flashes clear in her mind with a heavy tint of threat, of blood. She can still feel her pulse, urgent, the curl of anxiety in her stomach making her feel almost nauseous. 

“… Was it a nightmare?” Naruko asks after a beat, still sluggish from sleep, but she pulls Mika further into a hug. Mika buries her face in Naruko’s shoulder, tightening her hold and exhaling finally, an unintentional breath held out of worry. 

“I’m here- do you want me to make you some tea? Or a snack,” Naruko ventures, slowly rubbing circles in Mika’s back. 

She pauses a moment, then shakes her head. 

“S’fine, I jus- I just want… Naru...” Trying not to cry is difficult, and a sniffle makes it out, but Mika tries to remind herself- she’s in their bed, nothing of the dream was true-- 

It doesn’t do much to calm her heart. 

“Well, that’s good, because I’m all yours for as long as you need,” Naruko says, soft, and the gentle rhythm of her hand feels nice. 

“Ya don’t hafta… don’t ya have a… a shoot? Later on…” Mika asks, pulling back then. It's hard to see her face, but Mika doesn't really need to, comforted enough to know she's there. 

“Mm, I do, but the effects of beauty sleep don’t work if I let my wife deal with being upset on her own, right? And I’ve gotten plenty already.” Though Mika can only vaguely see it, Naruko smiles in reassurance. Hesitantly, Mika reaches her hand up to cling a bit more onto her arm. 

“I-I-I… dreamt that… that I was hurt. 'N then ya also got hurt, a-and-” 

“Hey, you don’t have to say any more about it,” she soothes, moving her own hand up to squeeze Mika's. “But I’ll hear you out, if that’s what you really want.” 

Mika looks back up to meet her eyes, then nods. 

"I'm fine now, sorta," she responds, and Naruko squeezes her hand again with somewhat too much pressure. 

"If you say so, but if you don't want to go back to sleep, I'll stay up with you." 

Her voice is knowing and sure, more with a tone of _I am staying up_ , nothing optional about it. It isn't like she's unfamiliar with this situation, can't hear the loud thud of Mika's heart still running away on her. Naruko untangles their hands then, stroking Mika's cheek, and she makes a noise of contentment. 

"Nmm... 'preciate it..." Mika mumbles in response. Leaning forward again into Naruko's collar, unruly hair tickling her chin and neck, Mika breathes in deep, then out, her tense muscles finally relaxing some more. 

"Hey, Naru... d'ya think ya could hum somethin'?" 

"Yeah, of course. Did you have anything in mind?" 

"Ehh, not really, just anythin' soft." 

Naruko runs her hands through Mika's hair then, and the tune she starts on isn't anything in particular. It's calming though, enough for Mika to wrap around her in one more hug before relaxing back into sleep, breath light against her neck. 

With all her concern, Naruko sighs in relief at seeming to have managed to fight off the effects of her nightmare. She strokes through the mess that Mika's hair once more, thankfully not catching any knots, before resting an arm back around her. Looking over, Naruko can see the early morning sky starting to visibly brighten more, hues of pale yellow and red streaking through. In all honesty, she'd have left by now to make breakfast and coffee, but letting Mika be on her own isn't something she's thinking to even consider at the moment. 

"Naru... a-are ya okay?" Mika's voice breaks in the silence, almost making her jump. 

"E-eh? Why, I'm perfectly fine," she answers somewhat hurriedly, trying to recover her own heart now. "I thought you already went back to sleep." 

"I mean I was sorta driftin' off, but, I can feel ya still, and yer not..." Mika says, taking an audible breath. "Y'know, ya make me feel relaxed 'n all but I don't really feel like goin' back t'sleep after a nightmare." 

"Silly, honestly, I did say I was going to stay up for you, didn't I?" She can sense Mika's pout before it appears, endearing nonetheless. 

"Well, yeah, but that doesn’t mean 'm gonna be happy 'bout it. It'll feel even worse if ya don't take care of yerself 'cause of me," Mika says, looking at Naruko, and she smiles softly. 

"I'm an early riser, so this isn't much. Just let me worry over you for now, okay? I don't want you to be alone." 

"Mm but 'm not? Yer right here, regardless," Mika says, and her voice is quizzical, eyes bright and piercing straight through her even with the care in her tone. 

"I know, but... it doesn't feel enough sometimes. It's like, I can't prevent nightmares, I can only try to calm you down after them. So can you let me do this much?" It seems like Mika’s lost the battle then, no thoughts to add, but Naruko knows. There’s a peculiar thing about her, tenacity. Stubbornness and disregard, so long as it keeps the people she loves close and protected. 

"Naru... ya care too much for me sometimes, yanno?" Her words aren't said with any intonation of judgement, just a statement of observation, and Naruko can't think to say otherwise. 

"... I wouldn't want it any other way," she finally responds, ruffling Mika's hair instead. "Since it seems we're at an impasse , why don't we just get up and have an early breakfast? Unless you want to keep cuddling, that is." 

Mika groans as Naruko winks, then giggles at her apparent complaint. 

Cuddling it is, then, is Naruko's conclusion, leaning up a bit closer to kiss Mika's forehead. 

"Naruuu," she whines, but there's a wide smile on her face, and she can't stop herself from laughing. In all honesty, the dream is still there, waiting to pull her back through needles that prick through her chest and churn acid in her stomach, but- at least this helps keep it at bay, the sun's rays moving to eliminate all but shadows.


End file.
